Water system
East Liverpool City
EPA ID OH1500811 · Columbiana County · 12,586 people served · owned by a local government
East Liverpool City treats its own water from Ohio River.
The system's record
- Water bodies
- Ohio River
- Raw intakes
- Liverpool Ohio River I
- Serves
- 12,586 people · Columbiana County
- EPA ID
- OH1500811
About this area's water
Did you know
- The intake is a street address as much as a river mile: East Liverpool draws the Ohio River at mile marker 40.2, at 2220 Michigan Avenue, through a plant that has been running since 1916.
- In 2025 the plant treated an average of 2.8 million gallons a day for roughly 12,600 people - and its source water protection plan rates the system's susceptibility to contamination as 'high.'
- East Liverpool once held about 85 pottery firms producing on the order of two-thirds of the nation's pottery, an industry that sat along the same Ohio River stretch the city still drinks from. (Reported by Wikipedia and…
History6
- 1916East Liverpool's surface water treatment plant was constructed to draw from the Ohio River at river mile 40.2; the plant is at 2220 Michigan Avenue and remains the city's sole source.
- 2022Ohio EPA identified plant deficiencies - deteriorating concrete in settling basins, leaks in filter pools, and filter media needing replacement - that went unresolved.
- 2025-01City received a formal Ohio EPA notification letter and a 'Tier 2 offender' designation for the unaddressed 2022 deficiencies; a notice describing the repair plan went to residents on Feb. 12, 2025.
- 2025-09System failed to continuously record individual filter effluent turbidity every 15 minutes as required by OAC 3745-81-74(B)(1) - operators had been logging manually every 4 hours. Equipment was…
- 2025The system operated in 2025 under a conditioned license to operate, with conditions requiring it to address ongoing violations.
- 2026-06Ohio Water Development Authority approved two Fresh Water Loan Fund loans to the city - $772,695 for a preliminary engineering report on aging water system infrastructure and $1,467,117 for a PER on…
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
Conventional surface water treatment of Ohio River water at the 1916 plant at 2220 Michigan Avenue, drawing at river mile 40.2. The CCR documents filtration (individual filter effluent turbidimeters, turbidity treatment technique), TOC removal (2025 removal ratio 1.10), chlorine disinfection (1.34…
Source: eastliverpool.com
Water pressure
Not published. The city does not publish distribution pressure, storage volumes or tank inventory.
What it costs
No current rate schedule is published on the city website or in the online code. Ohio EPA's 2022 Sewer and Water Rate Survey is the last unambiguous figure: an annual residential…
Source: dam.assets.ohio.govmorningjournalnews.comreviewonline.com
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Range 28-104.2 ppb; no violation (compliance is on a locational running annual average), but the highest single result… | 76.3 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) Range 12.8-24.7 ppb; chlorination by-product. | 23.9 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Nitrate Range 0.64-1.72 ppm; fertilizer runoff and septic leaching. | 1.72 ppm | 10 | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.81-1.29 ppm; natural plus additive. | 1.01 ppm | 4 | 2025 |
| Chlorine Range 1.05-1.60 ppm; disinfectant residual. | 1.34 ppm | MRDL 4 | 2025 |
| Barium Erosion of natural deposits; discharge of drilling wastes and from metal refineries. | 0.0329 ppm | 2 | 2025 |
| Combined Radium Monitored less than annually; erosion of natural deposits. | 1.07 pCi/L | 5 | 2023 |
| Turbidity Highest single result; 100% of monthly samples met the limit. | 0.26 NTU | TT (treatment… | 2025 |
| Total Organic Carbon (removal ratio) Range 1.02-1.31; in compliance with TOC removal requirements. | 1.10 ratio | TT (must exceed… | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) Second monitoring period; range ND-6.90 ppb; 0 of 30 sites above the action level. | 1.84 ppb | 15 (action… | 2025 |
Source: eastliverpool.com
EPA compliance record
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 1.8 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
7 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 6 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 1 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Projects & plans4
Recent and current work
- Water treatment plant deficiency repairs (settling basins, filter pools, filter media) · $1.7 million · 2025-2027 · under construction
Ordered after Ohio EPA cited unresolved 2022 deficiencies and gave the plant a Tier 2 designation; contractor started summer 2025. Board of Public Utilities… - Individual filter effluent turbidimeter recording upgrade · 2025 · completed
Equipment installed so IFE turbidity records every 15 minutes as of Oct. 3, 2025, resolving the 2025 monitoring violation. No cost published.
Source: yahoo.comeastliverpool.com
Planned or needed
- Preliminary engineering report - aging water system infrastructure · $772,695 · 2026 · planned
OWDA Fresh Water Loan Fund loan at 4.50% for five years, announced June 2026. Funds a study of alternatives, not construction; no construction project or cost… - Preliminary engineering report - wastewater treatment plant process improvements · $1.5 million · 2026 · planned
Second OWDA Fresh Water Loan Fund loan at 4.50% for five years, announced June 2026.
Supply stress
The 2025 CCR states the source water protection plan gives the system a HIGH susceptibility rating. The Ohio River at mile 40.2 is the sole source - the CCR names no wells, no interconnection and no backup supply - so the system depends entirely on a heavily industrialized navigable river shared with Pennsylvania and West Virginia.…
Source: eastliverpool.com
Sewers
Sanitary
City-run wastewater department (elwwtp@eastliverpool.com, 330-386-5525). Ohio EPA's 2022 rate survey lists an annual residential sewer bill of $300 at 4,000 gal/month (about $25/month), based on a reported average usage of 4,000 gal/month. In June 2026 the city took a $1,467,117 OWDA loan for a preliminary engineering report on WWTP…
Storm
The city operates a separate stormwater utility with an MS4 program. Ohio EPA's 2022 rate survey lists a residential stormwater charge of $84 per year.
Source: eastliverpool.comdam.assets.ohio.goveastliverpool.com
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Main supplier in 1 ZIP code
Serves
Main water supplier in 1 ZIP code
- 43920 · East Liverpool69% of residents
Population-weighted resident shares; a ZIP code can have more than one system on record. Recomputed from each ZIP's own system list, not from the map's cached footprint.
Buys from · Sells to
East Liverpool City does not buy water from another system on record; it treats its own source water.
No other system is on record buying water from East Liverpool City.
What the records show about East Liverpool City
Who runs it
EPA's record describes East Liverpool City as owned by a local government. It has 5,550 service connections and serves 12,586 people.
EPA classes it as a community water system, one that serves the same residents all year.
Its office telephone on EPA's record is 330-385-8812.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
EPA's treatment table registers these steps for East Liverpool City: corrosion control, coagulation and settling, chlorine disinfection, iron and manganese removal, fluoridation, powdered activated carbon, and sand or media filtration.
The list is what each system registered with EPA for treatment plants EPA still shows as active, and it can lag a plant upgrade.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) treatment table (EPA Envirofacts, pulled September 2026).
Violations
EPA's record shows no health-based violations for East Liverpool City since 2015.
EPA logs 7 violations of any kind since 2020: 6 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 1 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) violation records: health-based violations with compliance periods beginning in 2015 or later, all violations from 2020 or later (EPA Envirofacts, pulled September 2026).
Lead and copper at the tap
In the sampling period ending December 2025, the 90th-percentile lead result at East Liverpool City was 1.8 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 7.5 ppb, in the period ending December 2018.
EPA has 8 sampling periods on file for East Liverpool City since 2016, the first ending in 2018; no period was above 10 ppb.
Every water system has to inventory its service lines, the pipes from the main to each building. In the inventory East Liverpool City sent EPA, 5,854 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 697 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 219 |
| Unknown material | 4,938 |
| Not lead | 0 |
| All lines | 5,854 |
Systems sample taps in the homes most likely to have lead pipes or solder. The 90th-percentile result is the level nine in ten of the sampled homes were at or below. Lead comes mostly from service lines and house plumbing, not the source water, so a low result for the system does not clear an old house.
EPA's dashboard status for this inventory: reported all required service line types.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) lead and copper 90th-percentile results (EPA Envirofacts), sampling periods ending 2016 or later; EPA's service line inventory dashboard, Ohio's 2026 Q2 submission.
PFAS
EPA's fifth national round of testing (UCMR 5) took 7 samples of the water entering the pipes of East Liverpool City in 2023 to 2024 and measured 29 PFAS.
PFOA and PFOS were not detected, against a federal limit of 4 ng/L each.
The highest PFAS result was PFBS 5.1 ng/L.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of East Liverpool City (latest sample August 2020). Not one of the six PFAS tested (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS) was detected.
Ohio EPA's current sampling status map lists 1 plant of East Liverpool City as sampled, most recently April 2026.
| Compound | Highest result | Federal limit |
|---|---|---|
| PFOA | not detected | 4 ng/L |
| PFOS | not detected | 4 ng/L |
PFAS are the 'forever chemicals' from firefighting foam, plating shops and non-stick coatings. Results are for water leaving the plant, not your tap.
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data (final release, August 2026); Ohio EPA statewide PFAS sampling, 2019 to 2021, and its sampling status map.
Disinfection byproducts
Chlorine that disinfects water also reacts with organic matter to form byproducts. Two groups have federal limits: total trihalomethanes (TTHM, 80 µg/L) and five haloacetic acids (HAA5, 60 µg/L), judged on running yearly averages at each sampling site.
For TTHM, the average of East Liverpool City's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 51.1 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 59.8 µg/L and the highest single sample was 134 µg/L, from 136 samples taken from 2012 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 22.2 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 24.3 µg/L and the highest single sample was 47.9 µg/L, from 136 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 51.1 µg/L (2019) | 59.8 µg/L | 134 µg/L | 136 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 22.2 µg/L | 24.3 µg/L | 47.9 µg/L | 136 |
A yearly average of 0 means nothing was detected in that year's samples. EPA's file stops at 2019; Ohio EPA's Drinking Water Watch has newer results.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, distribution-system samples (non-detects counted as zero).
Nitrate, arsenic and radioactivity
Nitrate: the highest of 95 samples was 1.41 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2014; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 1.35 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 8 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 95 | 1.41 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 8 | not detected | 10 µg/L | 0 |
Measured in finished water: at the plant's entry points and in the distribution system; raw well and intake samples are left out. Non-detects count as zero.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Solvents and fuels
EPA's file holds results for all six solvent and fuel compounds it checked. Benzene, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, and vinyl chloride were not detected in 8 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
"Not detected" means the lab's result was below what its method can measure, not that the compound is absent. Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Farm chemicals and metals
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 8 of 8 samples, highest 40 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 8 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 8 | 8 of 8 | 40 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 8 | 0 of 8 | not detected | 0 |
Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 1 of 964 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at East Liverpool City tested positive (0.1%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 120 did. E. coli was never found in the 1 sample tested for it.
A positive coliform test is a warning sign, not a violation by itself. E. coli is a sign that human or animal waste may have reached the water. Coliform counts are routine samples only; E. coli counts include repeat samples.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, distribution-system presence/absence tests for total coliform and E. coli.
Fluoride
The Ohio Department of Health's report to the CDC (My Water's Fluoride) says East Liverpool City adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at East Liverpool City.
Measured fluoride: 0.91 mg/L on average at the plant's entry points in 2019 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.81 to 1.02 mg/L across 9 samples in 2012 to 2019.
The recommended level for preventing tooth decay is 0.7 mg/L; the federal limit is 4 mg/L. The treatment list is what each system registered with EPA and can lag a plant upgrade.
Source: CDC My Water's Fluoride (fluoridation status as reported by the Ohio Department of Health, fetched September 2026); EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) treatment table; EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, entry-point fluoride samples.
Lithium
Lithium was not detected in 4 UCMR 5 samples at East Liverpool City, last sampled in 2024 (the method reports from 9 µg/L).
Lithium is not regulated. EPA's draft health reference level is 10 µg/L, and it occurs naturally in deep groundwater, so well systems in the northwest run highest.
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data (final release, August 2026), samples from 2023 to 2025.
Algal toxins
Ohio EPA tests for microcystin, a toxin that harmful algal blooms can release, in raw water at the intake and in treated water.
No microcystin was detected in the 221 raw-water samples.
Microcystin was never detected in treated water (89 samples).
In all, 310 samples from 2016 to 2026, the latest on August 12, 2026.
| Water | Samples | Detections | Highest result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw water, at the intake | 221 | 0 | not detected |
| Treated water | 89 | 0 | not detected |
The ten-day advisory levels for treated water are 0.3 µg/L for children under six and 1.6 µg/L for everyone else. Any detection at the intake triggers more frequent testing until two clean weeks.
Source: Ohio EPA public water system harmful algal bloom monitoring, 2016 to present (HAB data, fetched September 2026).
How well the service area is mapped
EPA estimated the service area of East Liverpool City with a computer model rather than drawing it from the utility's map, so its edges are approximate.
Counting the people who live in the ZIP codes it overlaps, this atlas estimates 14,855 residents are inside the boundary, 118% of the 12,586 people East Liverpool City reports serving.
The resident count is an estimate from 2020 Census ZIP-code populations, not a count of customers.
Source: EPA Service Area Boundaries; resident estimate by this atlas from ZIP-code overlap.
Photograph
On the map
Show this system's territory on the map — 1 ZIP code in all.
Sources
U.S. EPA SDWIS and Community Water System Service Area Boundaries (v3, 2026), Ohio EPA primacy data, 2020 census blocks: the system serving most residents, traced through purchases to the treating utility; Ohio EPA 2023 Sewer and Water Rate Survey (Ohio State, May 2025) for household bills; Ohio EPA DEFA loan awards since 2016 for the loans paragraph · EPA SDWIS · EPA service area boundaries · Ohio EPA drinking water · Ohio EPA rate survey
EPA's own record for this system: Enforcement and Compliance History report for OH1500811 (EPA ECHO).
Notable facts: eastliverpool.com, en.wikipedia.org
History: eastliverpool.com, yahoo.com, wfmj.com
Water quality: eastliverpool.com
Planned work: wfmj.com, wytv.com
Capital projects: yahoo.com, eastliverpool.com
Rates: dam.assets.ohio.gov, morningjournalnews.com, reviewonline.com, eastliverpool.com
Sewers: eastliverpool.com, dam.assets.ohio.gov, eastliverpool.com, wfmj.com
Treatment: eastliverpool.com
Supply stress: eastliverpool.com
